The Take Over - Chapter 1
by HeichouAwesome
Summary: So don't ask me how it happened but a special friend and I came up with a corporate AU where Eren, Levi and Erwin have been split apart by a rival company. Erwin and Levi are sick to death of waiting for them to release Eren and take matters into their own hands. Oh, and somewhere along the way, they adopted close to thirty kids. Can't remember why but it's cute.


A loud slam echoed through the house. Small bodies jumped in surprise, eyes darting towards the hallway. Their father was angry. Angrier than he'd been in a long time. Tristan tensed as he heard rushed footsteps making their way past the games room. None of their fathers would ever hurt them in any way but when they were in a mood like this, it was best to steer clear for a little while until the situation had cooled. Next to him, Erin gripped the leg of his pants, her brilliant green eyes wide with worry. Tristan gently rubbed the top of her head, wishing he knew what to say that would make the situation better.

Damian, cautious as ever, poked his head through the doorway to see better. His shoulders slumped at whatever he saw and he looked back at them with a sadness on his face.

Tristan sighed. "So they still can't get Papa Eren back." His words were tired. This had been going on for the past month. Papa Levi and Papa Erwin had explained the situation to all of them but they'd all been able to see that the two men were not happy about it and the tension levels had been rising rapidly. Levi had been spending more time at the office in an attempt to work off the frustration and Erwin had been far more attentive to them than usual. Oh, he was already a very involved parent but he seemed to need some kind of distraction with Eren being away and Levi being as angry as he was.

Skye sat up from her spot on the couch, rubbing her eyes. "Wish they'd just hurry up and go get Papa Eren." She mumbled sleepily.

"Not that easy." Tristan muttered but he wished the same thing. It wasn't the same without Eren here. There was an intrinsic part of the family that was missing and all of them could feel it, Erwin and Levi most of all.

"Levi, calm down." Erwin muttered, following the smaller man as Levi stormed past the games room. He was past furious and Erwin honestly couldn't blame him. He was seething too but the kids were all listening in and the last thing he wanted was to worry them even further.

"Don't tell me to fucking calm down!" Levi hissed, yanking off his coat and throwing it. He didn't care where it landed as long as it wasn't on his shoulders anymore. He felt like his skin was burning up with his anger and the coat was just holding the heat in, making it unbearable.

"I'm sick and goddamn tired of this! This isn't about business for them anymore. This is them being sore that we told them to shove their proposal up their asses and they're taking it out on Eren!"

Erwin grabbed Levi's arm and dragged him away from any rooms that might have children in them. They didn't need to see or hear this. His own anger was about ready to explode and he needed to be locked away before he let it out. With the long strides they were taking, it didn't take much time to reach their study. With a quick jerk, he and Levi were inside and he closed the door as quietly as possible, locking it to engage the sound-proofing he'd installed. He'd never have thought that he'd need to use it to muffle an argument. He'd installed it so that none of the kids could hear what he, Levi and Eren sometimes got up to in here.

Sighing, he turned to face Levi, finally letting go of his arm. The smaller man immediately started pacing, his hands clenching into fists. "I can't believe they'd be this petty! Act so fucking childish just to spite us! And Eren's not cut out for this kind of work! You saw how exhausted he looked last time we skyped. He's ready to collapse and they just keep pushing." Levi exploded, slamming his fist against the wall. Several items on the shelves wobbled precariously with the impact.

Erwin rubbed his forehead, his brows knotting together. "I know that as well as you do, Levi. But right now, there's not much we can really do about it. The situation is precarious because of the way we handled it last time and we run the risk of them not wanting any part of our business if we step in."

"So fucking what?! Why the hell do you care now when last time you were as eager to get away from them as I was." Levi snapped, his fingers going to his right hand and absently rubbing the silver wedding band.

Erwin felt the ring on his own finger, like it was tighter than it usually was. The two of them had been rubbing the rings a lot lately. He knew Levi did it out of frustration. Erwin did it to remind himself of the love he had for the two men and all of their children. "I care now because they've got Eren involved. If it was just us, we'd be able to blow the whole thing off and be able to walk away from it with our careers and reputations intact because everyone expects this kind of thing from us.

But you know as well as I do that Eren isn't like us. He's kinder and not as strong in our world. If we were to step in in any way, he'd be seen as weak and never be taken seriously." Erwin explained, feeling a headache building behind his eyes. Eren's kindness was usually a virtue, something precious that they valued. But in their world, it was a major weakness that could be exploited.

Levi growled, shoving his hands into his hair. "I can't fucking stand it, Erwin. I hate that he's in this position! He shouldn't be over there! He should be here! Here with all of our kids! Here in our bed! Just here! Not in some goddamn hotel suite, pulling all-nighters that are our fault!"

"I know. And I'm trying to work out a way to fix this. Believe me, I am. I want him home just as much as you do." Erwin replied.

Levi deflated, as if suddenly exhausted. Sighing, he dropped down into one of the leather chairs, rubbing his face. "And the way you and I miss him probably doesn't even compare to the way they all miss him." He said softly.

Erwin closed his eyes as he thought of the way the kids had been lately. They had all been in bad situations before the three of them had come along and they'd been hoping to give them better lives. Up until now, they'd managed to do that. There hadn't been a day when the children weren't smiling or laughing about something. But over the last month, they had developed a somberness that scared him. All of them wanted Eren back, wanted their family back together.

A soft ringing broke the stillness of the room. Levi's head jerked up. "That's Eren." He murmured. Erwin strode over to the computer, quickly opening the call window that had appeared. Levi hovered at his shoulder, watching as the window expanded to full screen and went black as the connection was made.

A few seconds later, the picture finally appeared and Levi felt his heart clench as Eren appeared.

"Jesus, Eren. You look terrible." He murmured.

"Thanks a lot." Eren muttered but he was smiling. Erwin frowned as he stared at their husband. Levi wasn't kidding. Somehow, Eren looked more exhausted than he had last night. His beautiful green eyes were blood-shot and had massive shadows surrounding them. His cheeks were gaunt and his lips were chapped, like he'd been chewing at them. But his smile was all Eren. Happy to see them and relishing the sight of them.

"When was the last time you slept?" Erwin asked, switching on the desk lamp so Eren could see them better.

"Two nights ago, I think. I had to prepare a presentation last night for this morning and the team I'm working with were all pretty new and were asking me a lot of questions." Eren replied, running his fingers through his hair. The thick brown strands were standing on end, as if he'd been doing that for a while.

"They're making you work with newbies?" Levi asked in shock.

"Yeah. They say it's the best way to teach them." Eren replied around a yawn.

"And what do you think of that?" Erwin asked, wishing he could reach through the screen.

Eren sighed and actually laughed a little. "I think it's bullshit. Like everything else they've asked me to do."

Levi sighed and chuckled softly. "Good call. Did you tell them that?"

Eren shook his head, sadness entering his eyes. "You know I can't do that." He rubbed his tired eyes and when his hands moved away, they were shining with unshed tears.

"Eren." Erwin whispered, his arms aching to hug him.

Eren covered his mouth to stifle a sob. "I miss you both so much." He whispered. "I miss the kids. I miss our home. I miss the craziness. I miss being able to sleep next to you two. I want to come home so badly it hurts."

Levi's fist slammed down onto the table as fury hit him. This was going too far. Those bastards knew what Eren's home-life was like and they were still doing this. He jumped as Erwin's hand covered his, the warm weight pressing it down against the desk. Levi glared at Erwin and saw the warning in those blue eyes and immediately understood. Eren didn't need to see this right now.

"Eren." Erwin called.

"Yeah?" Came the soft response.

"Stay strong for a little longer. We both know how much it hurts but we're working on getting you home." Erwin murmured.

Eren rubbed the tears away and gave them a shaky smile. "Yeah. I know. It's...it just got to be a bit too much today. Not enough sleep, I guess."

"Don't you ever apologize to us, Eren. Nothing in this is your fault." Levi growled. A sudden tinny ringing filled the room. "What the hell is that?" Levi muttered.

"My cellphone. I've got a message." Eren picked up his phone and flipped it open, eyes moving as he read the message. He seemed to sag as he read it. "They're calling me in again. Something about a file that's gone missing." He said, standing up.

"Eren, you need rest!" Levi snapped, unable to mask the anger in his voice.

Eren nodded. "Yeah, but they're going to blame one of the new kids if that file really is missing. I can't let them do that."

Before Levi could say anything, Erwin spoke up. "Stay strong, Eren. We'll figure this out soon."

"Yeah. I hear you. Thanks, Erwin." Eren murmured, his smile coming back as he pulled a jacket on. He knelt down in front of the screen and kissed his fingertips before waving at them. "Talk to both of you again soon." He murmured.

Erwin mimicked the gesture and ended the call with a sigh. Next to him, Levi hung his head down between his shoulders, fury and sorrow practically radiating from him. Erwin reached out and slid his hand under Levi's jaw, lifting it gently. The pain in Levi's eyes went right through him, spearing into his heart. With a soft groan, Levi moved forward into Erwin's arms, collapsing against him. Erwin held him close, softly kissing Levi's temple as the smaller man fought back his own sadness.

"I don't know how much more of this I can take before I snap." Levi whispered, his fists clenching in the fabric of Erwin's shirt.

Erwin stared over Levi's head at the blank monitor, his mind running over the situation as it had been doing for the past month. He'd explored every angle of what he and Levi had discovered the last time they'd been involved with this company and something about it hadn't seemed right. Lately, he'd put Petra and Armin in charge of doing a little digging around. Armin's mind was sharp enough to see what might be hidden and Petra as a lawyer was a force to be reckoned with. He glanced at the blinking e-mail icon, knowing it was from the two of them.

His arms tightened around Levi. "I don't have your mouth or your bluntness but fuck waiting. I know I said we should hang back but this is too much." He said, one hand going to the e-mail and clicking it open. He smirked as he saw that Armin had been very thorough in his research.

"What the hell have you been doing?" Levi muttered as his eyes followed the information on the screen.

"Giving us something to work with." Erwin replied, turning Levi's face back to his and softly kissing him. "With this, they won't be able to do anything." He murmured against Levi's lips. Levi stared at him in surprise, wondering how long Erwin had been planning this. The information he was looking at would sink their opponents so damn fast that they wouldn't even know what hit them until they were out on the street.

"Any reason you didn't tell me about this?" He asked, tilting his head back as Erwin moved to kiss his throat, a soft sigh escaping him. He hated to admit it but he needed this. It had been too long since he and Erwin had really been able to do anything. It felt almost wrong to not have Eren there but right now, his body and mind craved the sweet attention, the distraction from the anger and emptiness caused by this whole disaster.

Erwin's hand slid over his hip and tugged him closer. There was nothing sexual in the gesture. He needed this as much as Levi did. He was far more composed than Levi but under that facade, he was just as brittle. Yeah, they'd had each other over the past month but when something as vital as Eren was missing, it wasn't the same. "I didn't tell you because, no offense, secrets aren't your strong point. I can say right now that you, if you'd seen this information, wouldn't have waited to confront them."

Levi scowled. "You're damn right about that."

Erwin chuckled softly. "Which is exactly why I didn't say anything. I needed to be sure of everything that Armin and Petra had found before I said anything to you."

"Yeah, I get it. I'm about as subtle as a drag queen in a church. Anything else?" Levi muttered, bending his head forward and pressing a rough kiss to Erwin's mouth.

"No. That's my main reason." Erwin replied, kissing him back. Silence descended once again as they kissed each other, craving the contact. Erwin had to admit that it had been far too long since they'd had any prolonged physical contact with each other. The stress, the absence of Eren, making sure all the kids were reassured... all of it had taken a toll on the two of them and they had barely touched each other this entire month. Not that either of them hadn't wanted to. But most of the time, they had just been too damn tired or on edge to really do anything.

A soft knock at the door brought Levi's head up. Erwin sighed and gently lifted Levi off him. Together, they walked to the door and opened it, unable to stop their smiles when they saw Erin, Damian, Skye and Tristan waiting on the other side. Several other faces were looking through doorways, expressions ranging from curious to wary and everything in between.

Erwin knelt down in front of Erin and took her hands in his. Her brilliant green eyes watched him closely, so much like Eren that it sometimes scared him. "We want Papa Eren back." She said, her soft voice filled with tears.

Levi sighed and softly cupped her cheek, brushing his fingers over the soft skin. "We do too, Erin."

Erwin lifted her into his arms and she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, clinging to him in a way that she hadn't done for almost a year. He looked out at all of their children and the combination of sadness and hope in their eyes. He looked down at Levi who looked back at him, resolution and anger clear on his face. Closing his eyes, he smiled slightly.

"What the hell are you smiling about?" Levi asked in surprise.

"I think Armin and Petra can figure out the rest of this on the way." Erwin answered.

"The way?"

Erwin nodded, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out his phone. Hitting speed-dial, he held the phone to his ear and smirked as it was picked up after two rings. "I need you to charter a flight for thirty three people." He said into the receiver.

"What the hell do you need that for?" Mikasa asked, suspicion clear in her voice even through the phone.

"I'm done waiting for those fools to let your brother go. We're going to get him back ourselves." Erwin replied, watching Levi's eyes widen in surprise before an almost evil smirk curled his lips.

"In that case, consider it done. But why thirty three?" Mikasa asked. Erwin could hear a keyboard being abused as she got to work.

"Myself, Levi and all the kids are going. And I'm bringing Armin and Petra with us." He answered. He smiled as he saw all twenty eight faces light up in excitement.

"Yeah, and that makes 32. Who's the last one?" Mikasa asked, an edge of irritation creeping into her voice.

"You." Erwin replied.

The clacking of the keyboard halted. "Me?" She asked softly.

"This has been as hard on you as it's been on us. You deserve to raise some hell for the bastards that have been doing this to Eren. And you're the only one I trust to keep an eye on all the kids when Levi and I make their lives hell." Erwin explained, grinning as Erin placed a happy kiss on his cheek before wriggling out of his grip and jumping to Levi. He caught her easily and buried his face in her brown curls, shutting his eyes tightly.

The clacking of the keyboard started up again. "Thank you, sir. I'll have the flight booked and Armin and Petra notified in two hours." Mikasa finally said. Erwin could hear the hitching of her breath.

"Tell them to pack a bag because we may be there for a while." He murmured.

"Understood. I'll make reservations at the hotel where Eren is as well. Any price limitations?" She asked.

"None. We'll turn this into a holiday. The kids and Eren deserve it after all of this. And so do you, Mikasa."

"Yes sir." With that, she hung up. Erwin lowered the phone and looked at the suddenly excited faces watching them. "All of you pack a bag and get ready. We're going to bring Eren home." He said.

Levi winced slightly as loud cries and screams of happiness echoed through the house as the kids finally lost it, cheering at the proclamation. But he couldn't stop his own smile as Erin jumped in his arms, her face lighting up. Gently, he lowered her to the ground and pushed her to Annabelle. The eldest daughter took Erin's hand, her grey eyes brimming with happy tears. "Make sure she packs enough, Annabelle. We don't want a repeat of the underwear episode." He instructed.

"Got it, dad." Annabelle replied, leading Erin away.

Levi shoved his hands into his pockets and looked at the rest of them. "Well, all of you get to it! You know how efficient your Aunt Mikasa is." Twenty six pairs of shoes beat feet down the long hallway as all of them ran to their rooms, doors slamming and the sounds of things being thrown around starting to echo around them.

Levi sighed as he felt Erwin take his hand, the warmth of his grip spreading all the way up Levi's arm. Erwin pulled Levi into his side, kissing the top of his head as they began to walk to their bedroom, dodging items that were being thrown across the hallway that had been borrowed between siblings.

"It's almost over, Levi." Erwin murmured, leading him up two flights of stairs. Levi stayed silent until they reached their bedroom. As soon as they were through the door, he grabbed the collar of Erwin's shirt and yanked him down, kissing him hard. Erwin groaned, wrapping his arms tightly around Levi and holding him close as the kiss deepened, their tongues stroking against each other as they gasped for air.

Finally, Levi broke the kiss. "I don't say it often enough but I love you." He said in a ragged voice. Erwin's laugh was breathless as let go of Levi reluctantly. But Levi finally smiled up at him, the first true smile that Erwin had seen in the the entire month of Eren being gone.

"Let's get moving." Levi said, yanking open the door to the walk-in closet and pulling down a handful of suits.

"Don't forget some casual stuff. We're turning this into a long over-due holiday." Erwin instructed, moving to his section of the closet and doing the same. Moving further down, he paused as he reached Eren's area. Sighing, he ran his fingers down one of the shirts Eren had left behind, lifting it to his face and breathing in the lingering scent.

"Bring that too. I'm going to burn everything that he's had to wear while he's been there." Levi said with a growl, grabbing an armful of Eren's clothing and dumping it onto the bed. Erwin smothered a laugh and did the same. It was going to be a lot of luggage but it was necessary. He fought the urge to grin when he thought about everything the kids would be bringing with them. They'd probably need a truck just to get it all to the flight!

A soft ping came from his phone. Pulling it out, he shook his head as he saw the message. "What's wrong?" Levi asked.

"Nothing. Mikasa's just a mind-reader. She's hired a bus to get all our luggage to the airport." Erwin replied with a smile.

"Huh. See if she can find out what Eren's mobile number is over there while you're at it. I have an idea." Levi replied, a warm light entering his eyes.


End file.
